Bayswater Omnibus by George William Joy, 1895 Here's an ethological inquest into the positive perceptions to perfume, as you might have experienced it while walking on the street of a civilized city. We should say ethnological but feel there is...
Scented Thoughts Archives
Smelling Lentisc on the Branch {Scented Thoughts}
Smelling lentisc (Pistacia lentiscus) on the branch today was like smelling Vent Vert by Balmain and Habanita by Molinard all wrapped in one bouquet of green leaves......
Should We Curse, Love and Hate When Critiquing a Fragrance? {Scented Thoughts}
Smell-Me Installation at Mane & Fils A comment left by reader Anton Scherbakov yesterday, and which I read today about how he felt I gave the impression I delighted in L'Acquarossa by Fendi, has made me realize more fully...
Update on Ma Griffe by Carven, the 2013 Edition {Scented Thoughts}
In 2011, I wrote that the delightful liveliness of the post-war scent, Ma Griffe by Carven (1946) - a contemporary of Miss Dior by Dior - had come back in the shape of its old olfactory form. In 2013,...
Sexy & Maternal Perfumes for Mother's Day 2013 {Perfume List}
This year, we are choosing a Sensual, Sexy Mother theme for inspiration, to propose a list of perfumes which are both maternal and sensual for Mother's Day. This is a great way to remind yourself olfactorily that you...
ID Parfums Elixir de Muguet & a Recap on the Lily of the Valley Conundrum (2013) {New Perfume} {Scented Thoughts}
ID Parfums have launched a new lily of the valley perfume this spring of 2013 called Elixir de Muguet in their Collection Exclusive in eau de parfum concentration. The composition is signed by perfumer Philippe Bousseton of Takasago. The...
Latest Olfactory Thought: Stereotyping Fragrances {Scented Thoughts}
Latest olfactory thought: “Should we avoid stereotyping fragrances like we do in real life with people? Absolutely yes, stereotyping really is ignorance. Seeing a pink perfume flacon ought not lead you to thinking the juice is an airhead. Case...
Latest Olfactory Thought: Down with Perfume Snobbery! {Scented Thoughts}
Latest Olfactory Thought: "A bas le snobisme en parfumerie!" - Chantal-Hélène Wagner...
Latest Olfactory Thought: Not Love at First Sight {Scented Thoughts}
Latest olfactory thought: “Can you love a perfume intellectually? Answer: Yes! You can love a perfume better because you understand it better. It’s not all guts and tripes in the beginning". - Chantal-Hélène Wagner...
A New Way of Reviewing Perfumes by Thinking About Beauty Categories {Scented Thoughts}
Gloria Vanderbilt by Horst Yesterday, after spritzing on some Little Gloria by Vanderbilt, and trying to peg its character in the range of perfume impressions we get from fragrances that are not original per se but manage to create...
Golden-Feeling Perfumes to Wear during the Holidays & for Golden Moments {Scented Thoughts} {Perfume List & Guide}
When the sun has left the premises, the color gold replaces it especially during the Holidays when we are invited to think warm, golden-colored thoughts. We are encouraged to do so thanks to a culture of shadow and light...
A Christmas Tree, Mitsouko, Gourmandises & the Memories of Constantin Weriguine - An Overdose of Joy {Fragrant Tale & Scented Thoughts}
If there is an enchanted book about childhood memories on perfumes and scents besides a masterpiece of world literature like A la recherche du temps perdu by Marcel Proust that would be the much lesser known, more naïve book...
A Perfume of Victory: More "Obamas" in 2012, The Update {Perfume List} {Scented Thoughts}
Since 2009 when we last wrote a post on perfumes, supposedly inspired by the political charisma of Barack Obama, a new word has emerged in perfume vocabulary and that is simply the indefinite noun "Obama". What is an "Obama"?An "Obama"...
Olfactory Observation #9: A Porridge which Tastes like Madame Rochas
Sprinkling some cinnamon on an oatmeal porridge (Quaker Oats) yields the strange illusion that you are consuming mouthfuls of perfumed porridge of the aldehydic chypre variety. This is when you have an aha moment and realize that perfumers must include...
Olfactory Observation #8: The Smell of a Fox Fur Hat in New York City
By Chantal-Hélène WagnerOne of the most powerful olfactive memories I have retained from the past is how on a fine day in New York City as my husband and I were walking down a street, we saw coming towards us...